14th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B 8th JULY

OUR CHURCHES

St. Mary’s - Elizabeth Street, Woodend St. Brigid’s - Matthew Street, Rosewood

Mater Dei - Cnr Ferrett Street and Rowland Tce, Sadliers Crossing St. Joseph’s - 42 Pine Mountain Road, North Ipswich

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal - Robertson Rd, Eastern Heights Immaculate Heart of Mary - 22 Old Toowoomba Road, Leichhardt

A very warm welcome to anyone visiting our Parish. It is good to have you with us.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about the Ipswich Catholic Community please visit our

parish website at www.ipswichcatholic.com We hope you enjoy your time in Ipswich. Please come again soon.

Dear Parishioners,

Today's second reading is perhaps some of the most personal testimony in all of the Christian Scriptures. St. Paul tells us how he had a "thorn in the flesh," something and we don’t know exactly what this was - which reminded Paul constantly of his need for God. Was it a physical ailment, an emotional difficulty, some sin or failing? Whatever it was, Paul didn’t like it! He prayed that it might leave him. I’m sure you can identify with St Paul!

God's answer to that prayer? Simply that God’s grace would be enough to see Paul through. Paul learned from this personal experience how to accept this weakness, how to allow it to be a moment where the power of God would instead take over. St Clare calls this ‘replying on God!’ - how do we rely on God in our day to day ‘stuff’ that happens each and every day. A Parishioner was sharing with me recently that she comes up to the church grounds each day and sits out near the Columbarium to get her peace. A young parent told me last week that he holds his children and that reminds him of the closeness of God in his life. How do we rely on God? Do you ever try and

seek God in the moments of your day?

I don't know about you, but I find this reading very comforting. I am no saint, that’s for sure (you don’t all have to agree with me!). But if a real saint, like Paul, can "boast of his weakness," and can openly admit to it, and to how he begged God to take it away, then I find in Paul's story a way to deal with my own sinfulness, my own weakness.

I like the way Paul's experience gave him a way to look at all the things that happened to him - "weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints," he says. So maybe there's hope for the rest of us, as well, to discover a similar insight, with God's help.

Let’s pray now, that we not be afraid to rely on God’s

help and also the help that others freely give to us.

May we continue to

pray for each other!

Stephen ofm

We welcome Fr Fulgence

Matovu, a Diocesan Priest

from Masaka Diocese, Uganda, who is

staying in Ipswich while he is here on holiday

visiting family and friends. The Archbishop

has granted him permission to concelebrate

mass with Fr Stephen from time to time.

Welcome!

SAYING PRAYERS DOESN’T MAKE US HOLY: No one should

undertake a substantive life of prayer and devotion thinking it will make them holy, eradicate all suffering, or assure a comfortable, successful life. In no way is this what following Christ entails. This is just an attempt at gaming God, and it treats prayer as a form of magic. Thinking that God must do certain things for me because of what I do for God is an absolute and egregious blasphemy! God does not bend to my will or yours; as followers of Christ, we are supposed to bend to his. (from Prayer Everywhere: The Spiritual Life Made Simple).

WEEKDAY MASS TIMES

Monday, 9th July - Ordinary Time

7.00am NO MASS St Joseph’s, North Ipswich

7.00pm NO MASS Mater Dei, Sadliers Crossing

Tuesday, 10th July - Ordinary Time

9.00am NO MASS Immaculate Heart of Mary, Leichhardt

Wednesday, 11th July - St Benedict

9.00am LITURGY OF THE WORD, St Mary’s, Woodend

9.30am NO MASS St Brigid’s, Rosewood

Thursday, 12th July - Ordinary Time

9.00am NO MASS St Joseph’s, North Ipswich

9.00am St Mary’s, Woodend

Friday, 13th July - Ordinary Time

9.00am Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Eastern Heights

WEEKEND MASS TIMES - 15th and 16th July

SATURDAY CHURCH LOCATION

4.30pm Immaculate Heart Leichhardt

5.30pm OLMM Eastern Heights

6.00pm St Mary’s Woodend

SUNDAY MASS CHURCH LOCATION

7.30am St Joseph’s North Ipswich

8.00am St Brigid’s Rosewood

8.30am St Mary’s Woodend

6.00pm St Mary’s Woodend

SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

DAY TIME CHURCH

Friday 8.30am-8.50am OLMM

Saturday 4.15pm-4.25pm Leichhardt

Saturday 5.00-5.30pm NO RECONCILIATION

St Mary’s

COMMUNITY DIRECTORY

Parish Priest

Parish Ministers

Pastoral Associate

Fr Stephen Bliss ofm sbliss@franciscans.org.au

Fr John Hong (on leave) Fr Enoch Iheme

Bernadette McAndrew Ph 0488 008 817

Administration Staff Mrs Maree Coyne Mrs Kathy Lund Mrs Rosalia Risati Mrs Kate Castles Mrs Bernadette Lenihan

Office Hours Monday: 10.00am-3.30pm Tues-Thurs: 8.00am-3.30pm Friday: 8.00am-1.00pm

Ipswich Catholic Community Contact Information

Telephone Email Post Mass Times

07 3281 2133 ipswich@bne.catholic.net.au PO Box 23, Ipswich 4305 07 3281 0707

New Media—Evangelisation

Website www.ipswichcatholic.com

Find us by searching for ‘ipswichcatholic’ on

Facebook / YouTube / Twitter / iTunes

Schools and Colleges in our Community

St Mary’s Primary Immaculate Heart St Joseph’s School St Brigid’s School St Mary’s College St Edmund’s College

Woodend Leichhardt North Ipswich Rosewood Woodend Woodend

07 3281 1998 07 3812 1077 07 3201 6188 07 5464 1563 07 3432 5444 07 3810 4400

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR JULY

Mon, 9th July Baptismal Preparation for Older Children

3.30-4.30pm, St Mary’s Parish Centre

Wed, 11th July

Wed, 11th July

Wed, 11th July

Preparation of activities for Sacramental Program

Prayer Group

HIVE - YA Formation night

11-12pm, St Mary’s Parish Centre

5-6pm, St Mary’s Parish Centre

7pm, St Mary’s Parish Centre

Thurs-Sat 12th - 14th July

Proclaim Conference St Laurence College, South Brisbane

Fri, 13th July

Fri, 13th July

Fri, 13th July

Morning tea

HIVE - Youth events

Rosewood Show Society

10-11am, Riverlink Shopping Centre

6.30-9.00pm, Mater Dei

Rosewood

Thurs, 14th July CWL Meeting 9.30-10.30am, CWL House

Wed, 18th July

Wed, 18th July

Music Jam

HIVE - Adoration

7pm, St Joseph’s, North Ipswich

7pm, St Mary’s Church

Wed, 25th July RCIA - Enquiry night 7.00pm, St Mary’s Parish Centre

Thurs, 26th July

Thurs, 26th July

OASIS RETREAT DAY

CONFIRMATION BEGINS

10am - 2pm, Mater Dei

3.30pm & 6.30pm, St Mary’s Church

Friday, 27th July PARISH DINNER 6.30pm, Brothers League

PETER’S PENCE COLLECTION: Last weekend we took up a collection for the Peter’s Pence as a retiring collection. Your generosity received was very much appreciated. Below is a breakdown of what has been raised from each parish within the Ipswich Catholic Community.

PETER’S PENCE COLLECTION

St Mary’s, Ipswich $864.50

St Joseph’s, Nth Ipswich $252.80

Immaculate Heart of Mary, $211.00

St Brigid’s, Rosewood $34.20

TOTAL $1,362.55

IPSWICH CATHOLIC COMMUNITY 2018

PARISH DINNER,

FRIDAY 27th JULY

BROTHERS LEAGUES CLUB

RACEVIEW

6:30pm (for 7:00pm start) Tickets: $30 single or $55 per

double (couples/friends). (A lovely winter roast dinner and dessert). Please book and

pay at the Parish Office by Monday 23rd July.

(phone bookings with payments via credit card are welcome). Donations of raffle prizes

would be very much appreciated and can be left at the Parish Office.

… What’s happening in the Ipswich Catholic Community ...

The SECOND edi-

tion of TALKA-

BOUT FOR 2017

is available this

weekend. Please

PLEASE PRAY FOR ….

THOSE WHO ARE CURRENTLY ILL OR RECOVERING...

RECENTLY DECEASED: Len William, Neil McCann, Lucy Hanson, Gerard Byrne, Dorothy Harris, Rita Gimpel, Noel Hayes, Geraldine Boddington, Veronica Stenico, Stephen Eckert, Wayne Hare.

ANNIVERSARY: Leo Condren, Frank Joy, Monica Brown, Joe Matthews, Marjorie Byrne, John Bishop, Peter Rice, Francis Molloy, Les Fulloon, Alex Elmore, Barbara Kopelke.

FOR ALL THOSE WHO ARE HOUSE-BOUND AND RECEIVE COMMUNION AT HOME.

RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS (RCIA): Each year our parish receives many enquiries from people seeking to belong to a faith community, who is committed to offering support and companionship while they explore God’s invitation to deepen their lives through the process of Christian Initiation. If you know of someone who may be interested in finding out a little more about the process, please let them know that the Ipswich Catholic Community is offering the opportunity to attend an evening where questions will be answered and the process explained. We will offer a warm,

friendly atmosphere with members of the parish RCIA team available to share their experience or to offer support. For further details please direct your enquiry to Bernadette McAndrew at the parish office, 3281 2133.

CENSUS – RENEWAL OF PLANNED GIVING: Our Planned

Giving Renewal is still a few weeks away and in preparation for this, we will be asking parishioners to complete a short census form.

The information collected will be used to update our Parish database, and in accordance with our Privacy Policy, will not be sold or given to any other organisations.

When these forms are distributed, we would

appreciate it if you could assist us by completing and returning the form. Thank you.

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION: Calling all children who are in Year 3 and above who are baptised in the Catholic Faith to be part of the preparation for the celebration of their Confirmation. Sessions for parent and child will commence on Thursday, July 26th. There will be two choices

for the session to attend – either one at 3.30pm or 6.30pm. Sessions will be held each Thursday until the celebration of Confirmation, which is the on Thursday, 23rd August. For further details please contact the Parish Office on 3281 2133.

From the HIVE: YOUNG ADULT FORMATION NIGHT: Wednesday, 11 July from

7pm, St Mary’s Parish Centre. IGNITE LIVE: Is happening next Friday night, 13th July. If you

want a taste of Ignite Conference to see if it is something you are interested in, please let us know and we can organise carpooling to this event. This is for both youth and young adults. Mote details to come.

ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT: Wednesday, 18th July, 7pm, St Mary’s Church.

IGNITE CONFERENCE: is coming up fast in September. If you’re a youth or young adult interested or want more information please message us or approach a Hive Leader at Mass.

YOUNG ADULT RETREAT: 18-19 August. Please text the Hive phone or message us on our social media pages to register your interest. CONTACTS: Phone: 0478150103. Facebook: The Hive Youth & Young Adult Ministry. Instagram: @the hive.ministry

Only 3

weeks away!

Book your

tickets this

week

THE ACU CENTRE FOR LITURGY, in partnership with Liturgy Brisbane, is offering a public Short Course “From death to new life: preparing and celebrating Catholic funerals” at St Francis of Assisi Parish, West End, over two Saturdays, July 21 and 28. Dr Jason McFarland will investigate a Christian theology of dying and death and explore how the Order of Christian Funerals celebrates death in a specifically Catholic way. Fr Tom Elich will dialogue with an experienced funeral director on how clergy and funeral directors together care for the dead and for those who grieve. There will also be an opportunity to prepare a Catholic funeral for yourself or a loved one. The cost is $60 and registration is essential, at: http://www.acu.edu.au/acu_centre_for_liturgy/short_courses.

For more information phone 029701 4751.

FR ENOCH’S ABSENCE: Fr Enoch will be away from the Parish for the next two weeks. Along with six other priests from the Brisbane Archdiocese will be attending a Acculturation Program in Sydney. This program is designed for priests and women and men religious who come to Australia for ministry. Topics include an introduction to Australia - the land, its peoples and the Church; Right relation­ships - women and the Australian church, integrity in ministry and child protection; and psychological aspects of entering a different culture. This program is sponsored by the Australian Catholic Bishops and Catholic Religious Australia.

NEWS FROM AROUND OUR COMMUNITY

ONE NON-PERISHABLE ITEM PER FAMILY EACH WEEK TO HELP THE NEEDY IN THE LOCAL IPSWICH AREA: This is an ongoing contribution for the needy. We are very grateful for your generosity. Thank you for your contributions!

OASIS DAY: We extend an invitation to parishioners to spend a few hours in quiet prayer and reflection on Thursday 26th July from 10-00am to 2-00pm to be held at Mater Dei, Ferrett Street Sadliers Crossing. The day will be a mixture of prayer, scripture, quiet personal reflection, and a shared lunch. Our hope in offering these Oasis days is to encourage a prayerful

stillness where we can let go of the busyness of our lives and sit in the presence of God for just a few hours. Bring along lunch to share. Morning tea will be provided. To register for the Oasis day please phone the Parish Office on 3281 2133 or email ipswich@bne.catholic.net.au

ANNUAL MASS: The Annual Mass for Deceased Christian Brothers, Teachers, and Old Boys of St Edmund's College will be held at CWL house, 35 Waghorn Street, Ipswich on Tuesday 24 July 2018 at 7.00 pm. All are invited. If you wish to remember a deceased Old Boy, please contact Andrew McGrath on 3389 6858.

ST JOSEPH’S CONFERENCE (NTH IPS) ST.VINCENT DE PAUL We wish to let you know how your generous donations were spent during June this year.

Total Contacts - 34; Total persons - 148; 14 partnered; 28 single with children; 20 single;

Financial assistance - $3,390.95;

In kind assistance - $420.20;

Thanks for Parish Assistance “food and money”.

Go to the poor you will find God. (St Vincent de Paul ‘1613’).

RECYCLE REUSE REDUCE: Consumerism impacts on the environment. If we reduce our consumption of both goods and energy we reduce waste and pollution. When we buy goods, we reduce waste if they are reusable rather than disposable.

Recycling is essential at home and at school or work. Don’t let “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (John 4:19).

ANIMATION GROUP: During this month’s meeting of the Animation Group we discussed various future events including the Plenary Council of 2020. A Plenary Council is the highest formal

gathering of all local churches in a country. This will be the first Plenary Council the Australian Catholic Church has held since 1937 with the purpose of inviting all Australians to engage in an open and inclusive process of listening and dialogue about the future of the Catholic Church in Australia. In preparation for this event, as a community, we hope to put into action the concept that “together we are on a journey of listening to God by listening to one another”. In this spirit, we encourage members of the community to approach the Animation Group with any questions or ideas you might have about animating our Ipswich Catholic Community. To help you know who to approach, photographs of your local group members will soon be displayed on church notice boards. In the much nearer future, in recognition of the Saints for whom the churches of the Ipswich Catholic Community are named, we will be holding a Camino Walk starting at St Brigid’s Church, Rosewood, and concluding at St Mary’s Church, Woodend. The date is yet to be determined, but we are looking forward to it being a journey of personal reflection, prayer and a celebration of community.

THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE SAINTS LEAD TO CHRIST: Saint Francis, was filled with a deep desire to proclaim the Gospel to others. God gave Francis extraordinary grace to preach with confidence, compassion, and clarity, motivated by a love for Jesus and zeal for the salvation of souls. Following the footsteps of Jesus, he demonstrated an unrelenting commitment to seek and save the lost. Showing his own followers how to rebuild the Church, Francis of Assisi desired to be a living Gospel for all to see and hear, and, with single-minded devotion, even while burdened by frequent illness and bodily pain, he abandoned himself completely to the call Jesus had given him. (from Saint Junipero Serra's Camino: A Pilgrimage Guide to the California Missions).